Have you heard of cause and effect relationships? For example when you were a child and you broke a vase, you got a punishment. Or when you teased the neighbor's dog and had to get away quick when he got angry. Of course these are trivial, childish stories but they show that we have to answer for our every action, word and even thought. Everything we do has its consequences ...

P!XelsPoltava has returned from the open Ukrainian championship tournament for Ultimate Frisbee. The competition was attended by 16 teams from Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and of course, Ukraine, where we finished in 13th place :) In fact, that's not too bad for a team as "green" as ours.

How can the church respond effectively to the needs of society in the 21st century? How can we find a common language with our society? Is secular culture the enemy of the gospel? Or can it still be a tool for the proclamation of the Gospel?

These and other questions were discussed by participants at the festival "Without Walls", which was held for the third time now in Ukraine. This time it took place at Donetsk Christian University from August 24 to 26. Salvation church sent seven participants to the festival, which constituted the lion's share of the delegation from our region. Three more came from Kremenchug. In all, the festival attracted about 300 young people from all regions of Ukraine and from neighboring countries.

Education without God's guidance and blessing rarely brings true pleasure. Most of us went to school without much enthusiasm, or more likely, quite reluctantly. Some people don't even want to remember those years. And the vast majority can not recall even a third of the information of what they learned there. 

Undoubtedly, the memory of the intimidating the Soviet education system played a significant role in shaping our attitudes to learning. Even now, in times of democracy and freedom, it is difficult to change the attitude to the educational process that built up over a period of decades.

What's the worst pain? Most people will answer: "Toothache!" But if you think about it, there are other things that hurt worse than a toothache. How can you tell if someone is in pain? A grimace on the face, tears in the eyes, sweat on the forehead, and so on. But there is another kind of pain, where the eyes become vacant and the gaze becomes unfocused, where the heart becomes heavy, not from physical spasms, but from a hurting soul. Not many people talk about it out loud. Why? The answer is simple - no pharmacy has the medicine to treat this pain!

This was the name of the children's camp we conducted on the Vorskla river where the time just flew by. I say flew because the children were so enthusiastic about the full and interesting program that when we asked them what could be better about the camp, we got the answer that it was too short. Five days was not enough. And how many days would it take to get tired of a camp with loving teachers, with excellent facilities managers who made our life more comfortable, with the best chefs in a "five-star" kitchen, a camp with interesting games and sports, singing and socializing at the evening campfire, and just plain good atmosphere!?

Every teenager wants to become a man, to grow up. This is a good and natural desire. He imitates the attributes of adulthood that he sees around him. It's just that his environment is not always healthy, in which case his view of manhood is distorted. There is no need to go into detail concerning the errors that are part of these distorted views, but what they have in common is that the men who are deceived by them are unstable, uncomfortable to be around, and sometimes monstrous.

That super-smart man Einstein once said that life can be lived in two ways: either by arguing that miracles don't happen, or by living as if everything in the world is a miracle. I think that Christians need to look at everything that surrounds them, and understand that God performed a miracle and continues it every day.

From July 15 to 21 God gave us an excellent time at youth camp in a picturesque corner of the Poltava region - downstream on the Vorskla river. And there was a reason we chose that place. First, we searched for a place that most of the campers wouln't know and that wasn't close to the main roads, second, we wanted it to be suitable to accommodate tents for up to eighty people, - third, we wanted to camp at a site where the river was clean. And all of this (especially the clean part), we were able to enjoy for all the wonderful days of camp.

Thinking back on my excitement at summer vacations, I can understand what today's kids are feeling. The awakening of nature after winter makes it hard to concentrate on lessons, the pages you read don't leave the slightest trace in your memory, and all your thoughts turn to running out onto the street and playing with your friends!